I reject the notion that the people who lose their money to the Nigerian
scammers are "victims". They invested money in a scheme purely in
order to enrich themselves without doing any useful work. There motives
were pure greed, just like the scammers - but the scammers were
smarter. There would be no scams or "Nigerian" spam at all if it
wasn't for these selfish people, who already have enough money floating
around, or borrowable, to throw into such a scheme.
A pox on these "victims" I say. Apart from CNN, all the listed articles
referred "victim"s of the scam.
Likewise a pox on everyone who ever responds positively to a spam or
telemarketing call. Likewise, if you think door-to-door sales people
or "charity" collectors approaching you in the street or at traffic
lights are privacy invasive and/or a safety/security risk, then a pox on
those who give them money too. Its not a question of whether these
things are scams or not - they are privacy invasive business practices
which only persist if someone gives them money. Its also unsafe and a
damn nuisance at traffic lights.
Wired has an article saying the "Nigerian" scam it is a big industry,
going back 15 years and not just in Nigeria:
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,53818,00.html
"For many of my relatives, there is much shame in the business,"
Taiwo said. "Others have come up with ways to justify it. They
say Nko? (So what?) It is not our fault foreigners are so
greedy."
Its miserable that these innocent people have been shot - I assume they
had nothing to do with the scam.
- Robin